KUALA LUMPUR, 7 May 2009: Wanita Gerakan has proposed that the government amend the Penal Code in order to impose harsher punishment against snatch thieves.

Its chief Datuk Tan Lian Hoe also called for a holistic approach in tackling crime and urged bodies such as the Rukun Tetangga (RT) and village development and security committees (JKKKs) to help out, with the spirit of “all for one, one for all” to fight crime.

“There should also be more TV surveillance in crime-prone areas,” she said in a statement, here, today.

Tan, who is also Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Deputy Minister, in welcoming a proposal by Deputy Home Minister Jelaing Mersat to set up a committee to fight snatch thefts and mat rempit activities, said the committee should also be represented by women.

Meanwhile, Gerakan’s head of Central Bureau on Environment, Safety and Quality of Life, Dr Cheah Soon Hai, said the culprits of the crime should be charged with murder if the victims died.

He said heavier punishment would be deterrent to the crime.

“We have witnessed or heard too many snatch theft cases happening almost everywhere in the country, with some causing serious injuries or even death to the victims,” he said.

He added that safety of the people, especially women and children, must be protected and everyone must feel safe in their environment.

In KUCHING, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, who is especially saddened by the death of two pregnant snatch theft victims[1] recently, called on the courts to impose heavy penalties for the crime.

She said the police should increase patrols and speed up investigations into snatch theft cases so that the culprits could be brought to court fast and face the music.

“There should be no mercy for them (snatch thieves) as they often prey on women and the disabled,” she said when visiting a welfare aid recipient at the latter’s house in Kampung Tabuan Drahman.

She said the police, Home Ministry, People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) and JKKKs and the local communities should come up with a comprehensive plan to ensure public safety.